Younger me believed that adults know what they are doing. There is a point in which they are no longer making it up.
I no longer believe this is true. No one has worked it out. I certainly haven’t.
I think it’s very important to shatter the image of perfection. It’s harder to admit that you don’t know, but it’s real and true and it shows people earlier in their journey that they’re okay if they haven’t got it all worked out yet.
The more time I have spent with people who seem to have it all worked out, the more I realise that they don’t know either. They are going through the same journey, doing their best to make meaning out of their life.
So the next time you look at someone thinking they have it all worked out, remember that they don’t. The goalposts have shifted for them. They have their own struggles. They are comparing themselves to other people. In reality, you are probably glamourising the thing that you value right now, whether that’s money, fame or the fancy job.
Take people off pedestals and it’s easier to build relationships with them. Both of you are on this journey together. Ultimately, both of you are just trying to work out how to be happy.